hybrid

Here at CES, ASUS has just taken the wraps off its new Transformer Book Duet TD300, a quad-mode laptop that is said to be the first ever offering a full Android and Windows dual-operating system experience. The software is run on a machine containing Intel's Core i7 processor and a host of other hardware that makes this an all-around solid entrant into the world of Android-loaded laptop/tablet hybrid systems.

Lenovo is augmenting its roster of convertible and otherwise detachable products with some new offerings, with the Miix 2 and Flex 14D & 15D making appearances here at CES 2014. With these new products comes laptops that can function in more ways that your average notebook thanks to convertible and detachable elements, bringing them all into the "hybrid" category. Read on to find out more.

Ford has unveiled a new concept car based on the C-Max plug-in hybrid vehicle. The concept car is called the Ford C-Max Solar Energi Concept. Ford says that the car was built to deliver the best aspects of a plug-in hybrid with the ability to go off the electric grid and still operate optimally.

GM is working on a new compact electric car for 2016, expected to cost around $30,000 and use a similar range-extending generator to the Chevrolet Volt and Cadillac ELR. The project, currently unnamed and with no confirmation of which GM-owned brand it will launch under, has a target electric-only range of 200 miles, outgoing GM CEO Dan Akerson told Bloomberg Businessweek as he hands over the reins to new chief exec Mary Barra.

A near handful of years ago, some students from MIT revealed a bicycle attachment that converts a bike into a hybrid with electric rear-wheel power, something that is now known as the Copenhagen Wheel. The idea behind the contraption is simple -- it attaches to the rear wheel of a bicycle and utilizes one's own biking efforts to provide assistance on tough terrain.

Xbox modder Brian Williams has installed two non-standard drives on an Xbox One, testing them to see whether they make for faster boot and game load times than the standard drive. The exercise demonstrates where the gaming industry is at in terms of drive configurations. The take-home point is that hybrid drives -- a traditional hard disk paired with a flash memory or SSD (solid-state drive) -- is a happy medium between speed and cost-effectiveness.

The popularity of tablets have posed a solid threat to the PC industry, and in response many 2-in-1 so-called "hybrid" laptops have popped up in increasing numbers that are able to function as both -- as a laptop when some serious work needs to be done, and as a tablet for activities best suited to a hands-on approach: mobile games, artwork, and Web browsing, among others. The Sony VAIO Duo 13 is one such hybrid featuring a collapsible design that toggles the machine between a slate and a laptop without effort, but does it provide the best of both worlds? Read our full SlashGear review to find out.

The Cadillac ELR is an important car for quite a few big reasons. Cadillac itself admits it has been playing catch-up in the luxury sedan market, pitching the ATS and CTS as more virile US alternatives to the typical options from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, but with the electrified ELR it's finally an opportunity to strike at a niche where the Germans aren't playing yet. Borrowing the torquey electric drive of GM's Volt but leaving behind any sort of hair-shirt eco sacrifice, it's an angular slab of luxury that, thanks to its own onboard generator, promises to be the headache-free EV discerning drivers have been waiting for. Then again, it really should be: with a sticker price just short of $76,000, the ELR is firmly in Tesla territory. We grabbed the keys of one of the very first production ELR off the line to see if Cadillac has a potential winner on its hands.

Acura has announced that it will be showing off its all-new sport hybrid at the LA Auto show. The car is called the Acura RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD and Acrua says that the car is its most technologically advanced vehicle in its history. Acura promises V8 levels of performance in a V6 car using a three motor hybrid system.

A push to increase zero-emission cars has seen eight US states set ambitious targets of 3.3m EVs and plug-in hybrids on the roads by 2025, an exponential increase on today's numbers, with collaborative infrastructure development near the top of the priority list. The pact, signed by California, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Oregon, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont, aims to consolidate pro-EV legislation, public charger roll-out, and other elements, "to make it easier for customers to operate and use zero-emission vehicles" according to California Air Resources Board chair Mary Nichols. However, auto makers have already warned that waning subsidies and tax credits could see the cost of zero-emission vehicles rise by up to $4,000.